Scoundrel Records

Gift of Sacrifice

Between an Ack and a Hard Place

2

AUG/13

Ghawhhrick’s new friends have offended the local theocracy of Rishi, the cult of H’kig, by stealing a landspeeder and a speeder bike. Unfortunately, the bike was destroyed while we were retrieving Renci Tash’s Y-Wing from the Trandoshan smuggler, Yarroq. While the Trandoshan repaired her ship, with some coercion, their friend Melos has negotiated an arrangement with the H’kig as penance for stealing. We must give three gifts; the Gift of Means, the Gift of Service and the Gift of Sacrifice.

The Gift of Means is a donation of the Bantha obtained from the Trandoshan. The Gift of Service will be escorting a member of the H’kig, Deltacc, to Socorro on our way to the core, presuming the ship is released from the impound yard. The Gift of Sacrifice is to rescue some captives from an Ack which has been attacking the native Rishii. The Ack is a cross between a spider, a crab and a preying mantis. They can spin a web like material to wrap up their prey and suck the blood.

Anticipating an overland journey, Melos negotiates 3000 credits for a broken down landspeeder and the owner is expecting us to buy it. Unfortunately, it won’t fit the whole group but the deal was made. Melos and Ghawhhrick work on the landspeeder and are able to fix it up. The seller is willing to trade it for a Trianii TX-1 Personal Carrier. This fits the whole group and we can at least get to the Rishii village.

There is much debate whether this mission is worthwhile. The group would much rather get their ship back. Deltacc tells us that there is a communication tower on the Rishi moon that we could disrupt and blind the Empire so we could get our ship out. However, offending the H’kig will leave relations in this system very strained. We decide to delay getting the ship and complete the Gift of Sacrifice.

On a hunch we look to see if the Trandoshan, Yarroq, has a bounty on him. He denied being one of the slavers that captured Ghawhhrick’s wife. It turns out he is part of Black Scale clan and is trying to establish a slaver outpost to sell to the Empire. It also happens that he’s taken out a bounty on the two Wookiees. We also find out he’s been visiting a high end hospital to be fitted with cybernetics. It looks like we’ve left another enemy in our wake.

Driving to the site of the Ack, we run into a road block. Ghawhhrick gets out looking at what happened and sees a large figure coming out of the wood, dropping another block behind the truck. He growls “It is a trap!” and when he tries to get back in the truck the vehicle is attacked by a Mantellian Savrip. These are quite sentient creatures but apparently very angry. The savrip attacks the truck and most of the party is shaken up and stumbling around. Pash is able to move towards a hatch. Ghawhhrick jumps out of the vehicle and moves behind the road block taking a shot with his bowcaster. Ashibec helps Pash up to the hatch where he is able to get a stun grenade out near the savrip before taking cover back inside. The savrip is disoriented by the grenade and stops attacking for the moment. STR8F tries to get out of the truck but blocks the doorway.

Liesa exits the truck from the far side, moves around the truck and uses her new vibrosword to cleave at the savrip. Ghawhhrick shoots a series of bowcaster bolts. The savrip starts to think better of the idea of taking on a truckload of blaster fire and trundles off. STRA8F and Melos are able to move the truck through the first road block and we clear the other block to prepare for the return trip.

We arrive at the spot on the map where the Ack is rumored to be. There should be a Rishii village around here somewhere. We need to rescue the captured Rishii from the Ack. Killing the Ack is optional but seems unavoidable. Ghawhhrick moves out and looks for Ack tracks to no avail. We move the truck back to the forest and camouflage it with leaves. We make our way into the canyons, travelling for more than a day.

We find shelter for the night. It’s a rough night for those who aren’t used to it. In the morning Ghawhhrick finds the tracks of the Ack and follow it to its lair. After much discussion, Ghawhhrick and Liesa climb partially up and realize getting the whole party up will be difficult at best. They return to the canyon floor and climb a nearby cliff in an attempt to find the Rishii village for aid. Unfortunately, the village is across several canyons. They attempt to leap the gap to the canyon wall where the Ack lair is located. The Wookiee’s jump dislodges some rocks which narrowly miss the rest of the party below.

The noise attracts the Ack which comes out of its lair. Pash makes a formidable shot with his blaster rifle and the Ack skitters up to the top of canyon, right between Ghawhhrick and Liesa and the lair. Ghawhhrick gestures Liesa to drop down and hide but the Ack spots them. Pash makes another astounding shot and the Ack skitters over the other side of the cliff. Ghawhhrick and Liesa see their chance and run to the cliff edge above the lair. They quickly anchor the rope and drop down into the liar, just in time to have the Ack appear in the opening behind them. Pash makes a third amazing shot and the Ack falls to the cliff floor unmoving.

With a sigh of relief, Ghawhhrick and Liesa turn to the captives in the liar and find another Ack poised over the Rishii. This one looks different, with a black shell casing. Ghawhhrick and Liesa circle it from either side hoping to flush it out of the lair. It works and Pash makes yet another unbelievable shot but it seems to have little effect. While Liesa tries to free the Rishii, Ghawhhrick comes to the cave entrance and, thinking it is somehow to resistant to energy fire, aims his bowcaster at the rock where the Ack is clinging, hoping to dislodge and drop it to the ground as well. The good news is the Ack falls. The bad news is the Ack hits the ground, jumps up and skitters off unharmed. The worse news is the rock crumbles under where Ghawhhrick is standing and he starts to fall. If that wasn’t bad enough, Liesha is still tied to Ghawhhrick and she is yanked out of the cave and is plummeting as well.

Suddenly, both seem to stop falling. On the canyon floor below, Melos draws upon the power of the Force unlike he has ever done before. They regain their footing and are able to climb back to the cave. This time they untie themselves and continue to help the Rishii, freeing them from the webs and administering stimpacks. In the distance, we see a flock of Rishii coming from the direction of the village, carrying large ropes to capture the Ack.

Suddenly, the second Ack crawls over the cliff face and appears in the cave entrance. Liesa tries her sword but it bounces off the thing’s armored shell. It retaliates and drags a claw down Liesa’s chest. Liesa falls back and Ghawhhrick steps forward. He tries a single bowcaster shot which sends it back out the entrance where Pash shoots it again. Undaunted it charges back into the cave and grapples with Ghawhhrick, inflicting deep wounds with its sharp claws. Ghawhhrick unleashes his fury and tries to break its neck with his furry hands. He comes close, crippling it enough to stop its attack.

At that point, the Rishii arrive and trap the Ack with their bolos. We are able to make short work of it after that. The captured Rishii are taken back to the village. We offer them the remains of the Acks which are apparently highly valued by them. There is a thought to salvage the bits for our own use but we recall this was a Gift of Sacrifice. We make our way back to the truck and back to the city ready to take on an Imperial Impound Yard.